Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, usually shortened to KDP, is Amazon's free platform for publishing ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers without an agent or a publishing contract. You upload your files, set your price, and your book can be on sale within days while you keep ownership of your work.
That simplicity is why Amazon book publishing has become the first stop for so many independent authors. But the platform looks different in 2026 than it did a few years ago. Print royalties changed in 2025, pricing needs more thought, and getting a book listed is far easier than getting it found. This guide explains how KDP works today, what it pays, what it does well and where new authors get caught out.
Key Takeaways
KDP is free to join and free to publish on, and you keep your rights, your price and your content. Ebook royalties and print royalties follow different rules, and the print structure changed on June 10, 2025, so list price now matters more than ever. KDP Select adds Kindle Unlimited income in exchange for 90 days of ebook exclusivity. Publishing is only the midpoint of the journey, because readers find books through strong descriptions, good reviews and steady book marketing.
What You Can Publish on KDP
KDP is no longer an ebook-only service. You can publish three formats, and each serves a slightly different reader.
Ebooks are the fastest to launch and carry no printing cost, which makes them a natural first release. Paperbacks are printed on demand, so Amazon prints a copy only when someone orders it and you never hold inventory. Hardcovers work the same way but cost more to print, so they are usually priced higher and suit longer books, gift editions and readers who want a premium copy.
You can publish all three versions of one book and show them together on a single product page. That gives readers a choice and gives your listing more ways to turn a visit into a sale. If you plan a paperback, read our guide to Amazon book sizes for KDP authors before you format the interior.
How to Publish a Book on KDP, Step by Step
Publishing on KDP takes seven steps, and each one has a detail that is easy to rush.
1. Create your account. Sign in at kdp.amazon.com with your Amazon login or create a new one, then complete your author details, tax information and payment method. Doing this first means you will not be stuck at the end.
2. Start a new title. From your Bookshelf, choose to create an ebook, a paperback or a hardcover. Enter the language, title, subtitle, series details, author name, description, keywords and categories. Treat this page as sales copy, because it decides how Amazon shows your book in search. You will also answer a question about AI-generated content here, which is covered below.
3. Upload your manuscript. For ebooks, KDP accepts EPUB, Word (DOC or DOCX) and KPF, the format produced by Amazon's free Kindle Create tool. Older MOBI files should be converted before you upload them. Check the result in Kindle Previewer, because a file that looks fine in Word can break on a Kindle. For print, you need a print-ready interior built to your chosen trim size.
4. Add your cover. Upload a finished cover or build one with KDP's Cover Creator. A paperback cover is one wraparound file with a back cover, spine and front cover, and its width depends on your page count. Print books can use a free KDP-assigned ISBN, and ebooks do not need one.
5. Set rights and price. Choose the territories you want to sell in, set your list price in each marketplace, pick your royalty option, and decide whether to enroll the ebook in KDP Select.
6. Preview and submit. Use the online previewer to scan every page, and order a printed proof for paperbacks and hardcovers, since layout problems show up far more clearly on paper. Then submit. Review can take up to 72 hours, though many books clear sooner.
7. Track and improve. Once the book is live, your KDP reports show sales, page reads and royalties, and you can edit the book, description or price whenever you like. Changes to the files go through a short review before they replace the live version.
How KDP Pays You: Ebook, Paperback and Hardcover Royalties
KDP pays different rates for ebooks and print books, and both changed in the last two years, so older blog posts often get the numbers wrong.
Ebooks. KDP offers a 35% option and a 70% option. The 70% option only applies inside a set price band, and Amazon widened that band on July 7, 2026. On Amazon.com, it now runs from $2.99 to $12.99, up from the old ceiling of $9.99 that had stood since 2007. Other marketplaces have equivalent bands in local currency. The 70% option also subtracts a delivery fee based on file size, which is minor for a plain text book and can be significant for an illustrated one. The 35% option has no delivery fee and works across a much wider price range.
Paperbacks and hardcovers. Since June 10, 2025, KDP pays 60% on print books priced at or above a marketplace threshold and 50% below it. On Amazon.com that threshold is $9.99. Your royalty is the rate multiplied by your list price, minus printing cost, so a short book priced under the threshold can earn very little. Sales through Expanded Distribution, which reaches outside the main Amazon stores, pay a lower 40% rate before printing costs.
Here is the difference one cent can make. For a 300-page paperback with a $4.60 printing cost, a $9.98 list price earns about $0.39 per copy, while $9.99 earns about $1.39. KDP also sets a minimum list price equal to printing cost divided by your royalty rate, so the 50% tier needs a higher price than the 60% tier just to break even.
Use KDP's official royalty calculator with your real page count and test prices on both sides of each threshold before you publish. Because these numbers have moved twice recently, confirm the current figures in your KDP dashboard instead of trusting any article, including this one.
KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited
KDP Select is an optional program that trades 90 days of ebook exclusivity for Kindle Unlimited income and extra promotional tools. While a title is enrolled, you cannot sell that ebook on other stores. Your paperback and hardcover are not affected and can be sold anywhere.
The pay works differently from a normal sale. Each month, Amazon divides a global fund by the total number of pages Kindle Unlimited members read, and that sets a per-page rate. In April 2026 the rate was about $0.00482, so a reader who finishes a 300-page book earns you roughly $1.45. The fund itself reached $62.2 million in January 2026.
Series writers whose fans binge often do well here, because one reader can finish several books in a row. Authors who want to reach readers on Apple Books, Kobo or their own website may prefer to publish wide. Survey data from Written Word Media suggests authors are split, with about 38% staying fully on Amazon, 30% fully wide and the rest doing a mix. To see how the reader side compares with audio, read our guide to Audible vs Kindle Unlimited.
The Real Amazon Self Publishing Pros
The biggest advantage of KDP is control. These are the Amazon self publishing pros that keep authors on the platform.
You keep your rights, and you decide the price, the cover, the description and the release date. If you spot a typo or want a fresh cover, you can fix it and republish without asking anyone. There is no inventory to buy or store, because print books are made one at a time when an order comes in.
Reach is another real benefit. Your book can be listed in multiple Amazon marketplaces around the world from day one, with no bookstore needing to agree to stock it. Speed matters too: a traditional publisher can take a year or more to release a book, while a KDP title can be live within days.
You also get honest data. KDP reports show your sales, page reads and royalties by marketplace, so you can see which price, cover or description is working. Features such as the previewer and Look Inside help readers sample your book before they buy, and KDP's cover and formatting tools lower the cost of getting a first book out.
The Real Drawbacks of KDP
KDP is not perfect, and the honest drawbacks are different from what older articles claim.
The first is that you do every job a publisher would normally do. Editing, cover design, formatting and marketing all fall on you, whether you do them yourself or pay for help. The second is platform risk. Amazon changes its terms from time to time, as the 2025 print royalty cut and the 2026 ebook price band both showed, so building your whole income on one platform carries risk.
The third is competition. Millions of books are listed, so being available is not the same as being found, and a weak cover or description disappears quickly. The fourth is price control. You set your list price, but Amazon can discount the retail price on the product page, which is why your royalty is calculated from the list price and not from what the customer sees.
The fifth is scams. Fake publishing services and unofficial websites promise to publish your book on KDP for large fees, and some simply take the money. KDP itself is free, so be careful with anyone who asks for payment in exchange for access to the platform.
Two old complaints no longer apply. KDP is not ebook-only, since it prints paperbacks and hardcovers too, and its royalties are not low compared with most platforms. Where they feel low is on very cheap print books, where the 50% tier and printing costs leave little room.
KDP Rules to Know Before You Publish
Two policies catch new authors off guard: AI disclosure and a daily limit on new titles.
KDP asks you to disclose AI-generated content, covering text, images and translations, when you publish a title. The rule separates AI-generated content, where AI created the words or images, from AI-assisted work, where you wrote the book and used AI for editing or brainstorming. Disclosure is required for the first and not for the second, and it is answered per title in the publishing form. Answer it honestly, because non-disclosure can lead to a book being rejected or removed. AI use is not banned, and books must still meet KDP's content guidelines and offer a decent reading experience.
KDP also caps new title creation at three titles per account per day, a limit it confirmed in 2023 and which sources still describe as in place in 2026. Updating an existing book does not count toward it. Most authors will never hit this limit, but it matters for anyone planning a large catalog launch.
Because KDP updates its content guidelines regularly, read the current rules in KDP's Help pages before each new release.
What to Do After You Publish
Treat launch day as the start of the work, because most books sell or stall based on what happens in the next ninety days.
Start with the listing itself. Your title, subtitle, keywords and categories decide which searches your book appears in, so choose words readers actually type and make sure they describe the content honestly. Your cover should look like it belongs in your genre, and your description should speak to a reader's problem or curiosity instead of summarizing the plot. These three pieces do more for sales than any promotion trick.
Next, build social proof. Reviews strongly influence buying decisions, so invite early readers to leave honest ones, and reach out to book bloggers and reviewers in your genre. Never pay for reviews, because Amazon removes them and can penalize accounts.
Then add paid and owned channels. Amazon Ads lets you run sponsored ads that put your book in front of shoppers searching for similar titles, and it works best once your listing converts well. Set up an Author Central profile so readers can find your bio and your full catalog in one place. Build a simple author website and an email list, because a mailing list is the one audience you own, whatever Amazon changes next. KDP Select also gives you promotional tools such as limited-time price deals.
Finally, keep improving. Check your sales and page-read data each month, update your description and cover when the numbers say something is not working, and keep publishing, since each new book helps sell the others. Our guide to book marketing goes deeper on launch plans, advertising and reader engagement.
Final Thoughts
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is still the easiest way for an independent author to get a book in front of readers, and in 2026 it is more flexible than ever, with three formats, a wider ebook price band and a clear set of rules. It also asks more of authors than it used to, because pricing, royalties and policies shift often and the market is crowded.
If you are ready to format a print edition, start with our guide to Amazon book sizes for KDP authors. If you are deciding how to reach readers through subscriptions or audio, read Audible vs Kindle Unlimited. Whatever route you take, publish consistently, learn from your numbers, and keep your marketing running long after launch day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I publish a book for free on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing?
Yes. There are no upfront costs. Amazon deducts printing costs from print sales and keeps its share of each sale, and you are paid the rest as royalties.
What types of books can I publish on KDP?
You can publish ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers. Print books are made on demand, and you can link all formats of one title on a single product page.
What file format should I upload for an ebook?
EPUB, Word (DOC or DOCX) and KPF are the practical choices. EPUB is the most portable, and KPF comes from Amazon's free Kindle Create tool. Preview the result in Kindle Previewer before you submit.
Can I publish my book in more than one language?
Yes. Each language edition is set up as its own title with its own manuscript, cover and listing details.
Is there a limit to how many books I can publish?
There is no limit on total titles, but KDP caps new title creation at three per account per day.
Do I have to disclose AI use?
You must disclose AI-generated text, images or translations when you publish. AI-assisted work, where you wrote the book and used a tool to help, does not need disclosure.
Can I sell my paperback elsewhere if my ebook is in KDP Select?
Yes. The 90-day exclusivity applies only to the ebook edition.
How do I know the royalty numbers are current?
Check KDP's royalty calculator and help pages before you set a price. Rates, price bands and printing costs have changed more than once recently.
